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Plan commission sets June 9 public hearing on temporary moratorium for large data centers
Summary
The Middleton Plan Commission set a public hearing for Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. on a draft temporary moratorium for large data centers to buy time for drafting zoning language; commissioners asked staff to tighten principal-use and incidental-use language to avoid loopholes.
The Middleton Plan Commission voted April 28 to set a public hearing for Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. on a draft temporary moratorium that would pause large data-center proposals while the city refines its zoning language.
Commissioner Paulson summarized his technical edits and emphasized the moratorium should target a "large data center as a principal use of a property," not incidental or accessory data‑center facilities. He warned that imprecise wording could allow a large data center to claim a small office as the principal use. Staff responded that the city’s incidental-use rules (discussed in the zoning ordinance) and a typical 15 percent area threshold for accessory uses should limit such loopholes, but commissioners asked staff to consult the city attorney and tighten the draft language before the hearing.
Staff said the moratorium is not intended to be permanent but to provide time to draft and adopt clear zoning definitions and standards. The commission set the hearing date by voice vote and invited further technical feedback ahead of the public hearing.
